2019 FACULTY

The 2019 faculty of the Graduate School of Banking consists of experienced bankers, academicians, regulatory officials, attorneys and others who have expert knowledge of their subject areas and who have the ability to teach other professionals. Approximately fifty-one faculty teach at the School, and some have been associated with the program for many years. Faculty and courses are critically evaluated to assure that banker-students receive the best possible professional education.

Experienced
Bankers
and Experts

J. Michael Allen

Mike Allen serves as EVP, Senior Credit Officer of State Bank and Trust Company. Prior to this role, Mike served as EVP, Director of Special Assets Division of State Bank. Mike’s banking experience spans 40 years, having worked with a number of banks in various capacities including retail, consumer, commercial and credit. Mike is an accomplished presenter and speaker. He is a member of Lakewood Baptist Church in Gainesville. He has served in numerous capacities with United Way. Mike is a former Board Member of the Greater Hall County Chamber of Commerce and served as Vice Chairman of the South Hall Business Coalition. He earned his BBA and MBA from Georgia College and State University, and he is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

Mike currently serves on the Credit Committee for the Georgia Bankers Association, where he also serves as an instructor, leading seminars on loan documentation, analyzing financial statements, and asset based lending. He is a member of the faculty at the University of Georgia Banking School sponsored by the Georgia Banking Association, and he is a member of the faculty at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. He was the 2017 recipient of the T. Eugene Spragens President’s award, an award presented annually by the LSU Graduate School of Banking to an outstanding faculty member. Mike also serves on the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU as President Elect.

Paul Allen is a shareholder in the Financial Institutions Advisory Group of Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund and the shareholder in charge of the firm’s Orlando office. He has over 25 years of public accounting and senior management experience, primarily serving financial institutions. Prior to joining Saltmarsh, Paul worked with an international accounting firm and served in various senior management roles with several financial institutions, including Chief Financial Officer.

Paul has extensive experience advising clients on accounting and financial reporting matters, enterprise risk management, asset liability management, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic planning. He has served on several boards, and serves on the Faculty of various banking schools, including the Florida Bankers Association Florida School of Banking at University of Florida, the Iowa School of Banking, the North Carolina School of Banking and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

Jeanne Applegate has over 30 years of experience in the banking industry and has worked exclusively with Consumer Protection and Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering laws and regulations since 1991. She is currently a Senior Compliance Manager for Arvest Bank, a 19 billion dollar bank operating in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. Previously, she served as the Managing Director for BSA/AML Services at Professional Bank Services in Louisville, Kentucky and as the Chief Compliance and BSA Officer for BOK Financial Corporation in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She also worked for the FDIC in the Dallas Region as a Senior Compliance Examiner and Review Examiner.

Jeanne is a graduate of Northeastern State University with a degree in Finance. She is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager, Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, and an Anti-Money Laundering Professional. She has been a member of the faculty at the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University since 1998.

Dr. Rex Bennett is President of Achieving Unlimited. He specializes in speaking and consulting on competitive advantage strategies and on developing employee and management cultures and organizational infrastructures that focus on exceptional customer satisfaction and superior profitability.

Rex has extensive work and consulting experience in competitive strategies, customer satisfaction, strategic planning, economic feasibility studies, and marketing research for a number of international, national, and regional/local banks and other firms. His clients include: the American Bankers Association, the Bank Marketing Association, Citicorp, Kaiser-Permanente, Key Banks, KPMG Peat Marwick, the former NationsBank, the U.S. Treasury Department, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Rex has substantial international experience in Europe, Asia, and the former Soviet Union. He has been Director of Branch Planning for the former NationsBank, Director of Marketing Planning for First Tennessee Corporation, and Manager of International Financial Services for KPMG Peat Marwick. He is currently Professor of Strategy and Marketing at the University of San Francisco.

Rex received his BS in finance from the University of Tennessee and his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Rex teaches at numerous graduate schools of banking around the country. He has published articles on strategy, competitive advantage, and marketing in the American Banker, Journal of Retail Banking, The Bankers Magazine, and Bank Marketing. He is currently writing a book on building and sustaining competitive advantage.

Carl Chaney has been Executive Chairman of Beach Community Bank since July 2018. He has served as the Chief Executive Officer of First NBC Bank and First NBC Bank Holding Company since February 2017, and he has been President of First NBC Bank and First NBC Bank Holding Company since April 2017. He also serves as Vice-Chairman at JTS Capital Group, and he is Executive Chairman of BCB Capital Group. He has been the President of Hancock Bank of Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama since December 2008. Mr. Chaney has been President of Hancock Bank since December 2008 and also serves as its Chief Executive Officer. He has been an Executive Vice President at Hancock Bank (Gulfport, MS) since 2001.

Carl has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the banking and financial services sector with a proven track record of building high-performing businesses. He served as the Chief Financial Officer of Hancock Bank (Gulfport, MS) from 1998 to March 2007. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Hancock Whitney Corporation (formerly, Hancock Holding Company) and Hancock Whitney Bank from 2006–2014. He served as President of Hancock Holding Company from 2008–2014. He served as an Executive Vice President of Hancock Bank and Hancock Holding Co. from 2001–2008. He served as Chief Financial Officer of Hancock Holding, Co. and Hancock Bank from 1998–2007. Mr. Chaney served as Senior Vice President of Hancock Holding Co. and Hancock Bank from 1999–2001. Prior to joining Hancock Holding Company, he served as Partner and Director of the law firm, Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis, P.A. in Jackson Mississippi from 1995–1998, where he specialized in Investment Banking and Merger and Acquisitions in the Banking Industry.

He has served as a Director at the Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta since 2012; Mississippi Power Co. since 2009; Hancock Bank of Florida since 2003; and Hancock Bank of Alabama since 2007. He served as Director of Hancock Holding Company from 2006 –2014. He is a University of Mississippi honors graduate with banking and finance degree and a Juris doctor.

A faculty member at the Mississippi School of Banking and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, Carl received the Eugene Spragens President’s Award for teaching excellence from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

Harvey Church is the Senior Retail Banking Officer for First Farmers and Merchants Bank. The Senior Retail Banking Officer is responsible for the growth and profit of the retail business line, branch network, and all initiatives to assure successful service delivery and strategy success. Responsibilities of the position include deposit and lending services, new product research and development, customer service and delivery systems, associate enrichment, education and training, performance management, annual cost/benefit analysis of existing products, preparation of detailed reports for committee and board meetings and related regulatory compliance.

Harvey graduated from LSU Graduate School of Banking in 2009, and he holds degrees from Union University, the University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt University. Harvey attended Cannon Trust School as well as Stone Mountain Leadership classes for key Executives. An Eagle Scout and lifetime member of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), Harvey serves on the BSA executive board. Other interests in the community include serving on the Maury County Chamber and Economic Alliance, Leadership Middle Tennessee, Kiwanis Club, Columbia State Foundation, Columbia Main Street and the James K. Polk Association.

Jimmy Clarkson received his BA degree in Economics from Clemson University in 1973. He graduated from the Graduate of School of Banking of the South (GSBLSU) in 1985. Jimmy began his banking career with the National Bank of South Carolina in Sumter, South Carolina in 1973. He later served as Vice President & City Executive Officer for Horry County National Bank/Southern National Bank in Loris, South Carolina from 1980–1987. He later served as President & CEO of Horry County State Bank & HCSB Financial Corporation in Loris, South Carolina from 1987–2016. He then assumed the role of Market President for First Reliance Bank in Loris, South Carolina from 2016–2018.

Jimmy is a past director of the South Carolina Bankers Association and Independent Banks of South Carolina. He is currently a director for Horry Telephone Cooperative, Inc. in Conway, South Carolina. Jimmy has served as a BankExec Instructor at the South Carolina School of Banking 1991, and he has served the school as a Chairman, Director, and Course Coordinator. Jimmy has served as a BankSim Instructor at Graduate School of Banking at LSU since 2001.

Dr. Brandon Cline is the John “Nutie” and Edie Dowdle Associate Professor of Finance and Co-Director of the Institute for Market Studies at Mississippi State University. His research focuses on insider trading, executive compensation, equity offerings, and corporate governance, and his work has been published in numerous finance journals, including the Journal of Financial Economics, Financial Management, Journal of Corporate Finance, Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of Empirical Finance, The Journal of Financial Research, and The Financial Review.

Brandon has received invitations to present his work at prestigious conferences such as the American Finance Association, and he has also received various research awards including the 2014 Wharton School-WRDS Outstanding Paper in Empirical Research, the 2012 Journal of Financial Research Outstanding Article Award, the 2010 Eastern Finance Association Outstanding Paper Award, the 2009 Eastern Finance Association Outstanding Paper Award, the 2008 Southern Finance Association’s Outstanding Paper Award in Corporate Finance, and the 2017 Mississippi State College of Business Faculty Research Award. His research has also been the subject of feature stories in Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg Radio, NPR’s The Hidden Brain, FoxBusiness, CNNMoney, RealClearMarkets, and the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation.

Prior to joining Mississippi State University, Brandon taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in corporate finance and financial derivatives at Clemson University and West Virginia University. In 2006, Brandon received the Outstanding Finance Faculty Award at The University of Alabama. Brandon is a national officer for Southern Finance Association, and he has served on the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU since 2016.

David Coyle is a Senior Consultant with Bankers Service Corporation in Lexington, KY. He holds a bachelors degree from the University of Kentucky and he served as Director of the Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions. David has served as an instructor for Graduate School of Banking at LSU BankSim program for over 20 years.

Dr. Ken Cyree is Dean of the School of Business Administration, the Frank R. Day/Mississippi Bankers Association Chair of Banking, and Professor of Finance at the University of Mississippi. His research interests are in banking, financial markets, interest rates, and regulation. His published works have appeared in the Journal of Business, Journal of Banking and Finance, Financial Management, Journal of Financial Research, the Journal of Financial Services Research, the Journal of Financial Markets, and Financial Review, among others. Additionally, he served on the editorial board of the Journal of BusinessResearch and he is currently an associate editor at the Journal of Financial Research. He is the former president and vice president of the Southern Finance Association, and he also served on the nominating committee for the Eastern Finance Association. He was awarded the Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2007 and Outstanding Senior Researcher in 2014 for the University of Mississippi School of Business Administration.

Ken has conducted numerous media interviews including National Public Radio, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, ViewPoint television, the Marshall Ramsey Radio Show, the Paul Gallo Show, and the Dave Foster Radio Show. He has been quoted in the Clarion Ledger, the Hattiesburg American, the Mississippi Business Journal, the Tupelo Daily Journal, along with online news sites such as Bloomberg and Fox Business. He has spoken to the Conference of Bank State Supervisors (CSBS), the St. Louis Federal Reserve, the Mississippi Bankers Association (MBA), and testified before the Mississippi State Legislature Banking Committee. He is a board member of the Mississippi Young Bankers Association.

Ken received his doctorate and MBA from the University of Tennessee. He is the Director of the Mississippi School of Banking and a faculty member at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

Tommy Darnell retired after 44 1/2 years in banking as Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer of BancorpSouth Bank. He joined BancorpSouth in 2003 as President of the Hinds County Mississippi Division of the bank with market responsibilities for the Private Banking, Corporate and Real Estate Divisions. In 2014, he moved to the corporate headquarters in Tupelo where he assumed responsibilities for the newly formed systemwide Corporate Lending line of business and supervision of the Treasury Management Sales force. In addition, he was responsible for the oversight of the bank’s management training program, served as a member of the banks senior loan committee, asset liability management committee, trust and financial services committee, credit policy committee and served as a trustee of the BancorpSouth Foundation.

Prior to joining BancorpSouth, Tommy worked for Trustmark National Bank based in Jackson, Mississippi for 31 years. During his time with Trustmark, he worked in numerous areas including retail lending, correspondent banking, commercial lending and in his last 5 years, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit officer.

Tommy holds an undergraduate degree in Banking and Finance from Mississippi State University, an MBA from Mississippi College, a graduate from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, and he has completed the ABA’s Undergraduate and Graduate Commercial Lending Programs at the National Commercial Lending School at the University of Oklahoma.

Tommy served for 10 years as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Graduate School of Banking at LSU (GSBLSU) and he was President of the Board. He has taught classes for the American Institute of Banking, the Mississippi School of Banking and freshman and junior cases for the GSBLSU. He is currently serving on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Mississippi State University School of Business.

Stephen David is President & CEO of Peoples Bank in New Roads, Louisiana. He is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and he completed the Graduate School of Banking at LSU (GSBLSU) in 1990. Stephen is Past President/Chairman of the Louisiana Bankers Association (LBA), and he is the current State Chairman of Governmental Affairs for LBA. He has served the American Bankers Association (ABA) through the Governmental Affairs Council and Membership Council. He is a Past Chairman of Parish Chamber of Commerce; Past President of Parish Catholic School System; and active volunteer in coaching, with over 20 former players earning Athletic Scholarships in various sports. Stephen was a member of the GSBLSU Board of Trustees from 2000-2004, and he served as the GSBLSU President & Executive Committee Member from 2005-2011. He has served as an instructor for the GSBLSU BankSim program for over 22 years.

Pamela Decker is Vice President of Customer Experience at Computer Services, Inc. In this role, she leads the overall strategic direction on customer training and support for the NuPoint and Meridian core banking software. She has over 30 years banking experience, and prior to joining CSI was the EVP & COO of a community bank which she helped form in 2000. She holds an MBA and an Ed.D in Organizational Leadership from Western Kentucky University where she serves as an adjunct professor in the university’s Professional Studies and Business School programs. Pamela is a former graduate and trustee of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. She has served on the GSBLSU faculty since 2017.

Jody Elmore is retired from Banking after 40 years in the industry. Her last position was as Chief Compliance Officer of Georgia Banking Company in Atlanta, Georgia. Previously, she served as President for two other banks in Alabama. She started her career during High School at Valley National Bank in Lanett, Alabama.

Jody received her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from Auburn University. She is an alumnae of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU and the Professional Masters of Banking at LSU/Alex Sheshunoff, Inc. Jody is a former Trustee of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, and she has been a member of the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU for 25 years.

Cal Evans developed and manages Synovus Financial Corp.’s Credit Market Intelligence initiative in Columbus, Georgia. He is responsible for determining how market factors influence the strategic direction of CRE and C&I lending and serves as an economic advisor for the company. Prior to joining Synovus in 2008, Cal worked as a commercial real estate appraiser and private consultant in the Athens, Georgia area.

Cal earned his BBA in economics in 1997 and his MBA with a dual concentration in real estate and finance in 2005, both at the University of Georgia. While completing the MBA program, Cal taught both undergraduate and graduate level finance at the Terry College of Business at UGA. He serves as a CRE market advisor for the Georgia Association of Assessing Officials and the Medical College of Georgia Foundation. He continues to conduct ongoing educational programs for several governmental, real estate, and educational enterprises. Cal is a faculty member at the Georgia Bankers Association School of Banking at the University of Georgia and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

Mark Faircloth brings over three decades of experience as a successful banker and consultant to his work with Faircloth Performance Partners, serving the banking industry with a range of solutions from management consulting to skill-based workshops.

Mark’s banking experience spans both the retail and commercial sectors, where he served in a variety of front-line sales, management and marketing positions. He is a recognized expert in commercial relationship negotiations. In addition to his day-to-day work with bankers, Mark serves on the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, plus several other national and regional banking schools. Mark is also a frequent speaker at industry conferences and his articles have appeared in several national and international financial publications.

Mark is a graduate of the University of Alabama and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

Rita Floyd is Director of Organizational Development for Trustmark National Bank in Jackson, Mississippi. She has worked in banking for 34 years in various capacities, but the major portion of this time in the Human Resources field. Her current role involves directing the Learning and Development function which encompasses Career Coaching, Team Effectiveness and Assessment Services, Talent Management, Succession Planning, Performance Management, 360 Degree Multi-rater Feedback, Mentorship and Training.

Rita received her Master’s degree in Human Resources from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, and she was chosen by the Mississippi Business Journal as one of the 50 leading Business Women in 2009. She extends her work in learning and development beyond the walls of Trustmark by serving as an Adjunct Professor at Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi and a professor at the Mississippi School of Banking. She joined the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU in 2019.

Dan Harbison began his banking career as a Management Trainee at Bowling Green Bank & Trust, N.A. in 1981. After rising to the position of Vice President, Dan left Bowling Green Bank & Trust, N.A. in 1989 to assume the position of Vice President/Manager of Retail Banking at National City Bank. Dan became the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Farmers National Bank in 1991, and he helped the bank grow to over $178 million in assets. He was named President & CEO of Farmers National Bank in 1996, and he also became a board member at that time.

Dan is a graduate of the Kentucky Bank Management Institute, Graduate School of Banking at LSU, and the Professional Masters of Banking at LSU/Alex Sheshunoff, Inc. He is a past member of the Scottsville-Allen County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, member of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, Scottsville-Allen County Public Properties, past President of Scottsville-Allen County Rotary Club, member of Elks Lodge, Tennessee Bankers Association, former Trustee of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, and former Director of the Ronald McDonald Charities of Nashville Tennessee, Inc. He has served as Director of the Kentucky Bank Management Institute of Western Kentucky University and Chairman of the Board for the Scottsville – Allen County YMCA. He is also Chairman of the Laura and Cal Turner YMCA Charitable Foundation, served as Chairman of the Southern KY Kids on the Block, and remains a Director and past President of the Allen County Public Library Board. He serves as a Director of the Warren County Ag Foundation, 2014 President of the Ambassador Club of the Bowling Green/Warren County Chamber, 2014 Ambassador of the year for the Chamber of Commerce of South Central Kentucky and the 2014 Associate of the year for the Builders Association of South Central Kentucky, and he was named to the Board of the Warren County Economic Development Authority. Dan was inducted into the Warren County Distinguished Alumni representing Warren Central High School, and he presently serves on the teaching staff of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

Chris Hargrove is Chairman and CEO at ProBank Austin, and he also serves as the Director of ProBank Austin’s Investment Banking Division. Chris is the President of Investment Bank Services, Inc., which is ProBank Austin’s broker/dealer subsidiary. His primary responsibility is in the areas of mergers, acquisitions, and financial planning for clients. He has represented over 400 institutions as their investment banker and advisor since 1985, and he is a frequent speaker on seminars regarding mergers, acquisitions, and capital planning. Chris has an M.A. and B.B.A. degree in Finance. Chris has been a member of the faculty at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU for more than 25 years.

John Heasley is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the Texas Bankers Association (TBA). He came to the TBA in September of 1994, after serving as Staff Director and Republican General Counsel for the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions of the U.S. House of Representatives Banking Committee. John joined the banking committee in 1988 after serving as Legislative Director for former Congressman Steve Bartlett. He was Assistant Criminal District Attorney for Dallas County from 1981–1986, serving in the trial division specializing in major felony crime and white collar crime prosecutions. In his present capacity, John is responsible for the legal aspects of TBA’s state and federal lobbying efforts, its amicus brief activities in major banking litigation and the representation of all of the association’s subsidiaries and affiliated companies. John earned both his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Texas.

Gary Higgins was a Senior Vice President at Bank of America. Over his 29 year career, Gary served as a Business Control Executive Global Technology & Operations, Risk & Stability Executive for Countrywide Transition, Credit Review Examiner, Audit Director, Portfolio Review Executive, and Risk Executive for the Change Performance Center at Bank of America.

Gary is a graduate of Radford University and he currently serves on the faculty of the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management at UVA. He has also served on the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking for almost a decade.

Dr. Mike Highfield is a Professor of Finance and the Robert W. Warren Chair of Real Estate Finance at Mississippi State University. He earned his BBA and MBA from Mississippi State University and later earned his MS in Economics and Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Kentucky. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation from the CFA Institute, and he holds the Certified Treasury Professional (CTP®) designation from the Association for Financial Professionals.

A former faculty member at Louisiana Tech University, Mike returned to Mississippi State University in 2005 and served as the Department Head of Finance and Economics from 2009-2018. He currently holds the position of Professor of Finance and Robert W. Warren Chair of Real Estate Finance, and he teaches corporate finance, financial modeling, mortgage lending, and real estate investments. His research has appeared in Financial Management, the Journal of Corporate Finance, Real Estate Economics, the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, and the Journal of Real Estate Research. Mike is a consultant for the CFA Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, and he serves on the Investments Committee for the Mississippi State University Foundation and the Oktibbeha Educational Foundation. He is a past president of the American Real Estate Society (ARES), and he currently serves on the ARES Board of Directors. Mike serves as the Vice President of Curriculum for the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, and he also teaches the school’s first year course in Financial Markets.

Jody Hudgins has served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer for First Florida Integrity Bank (“First Florida”) since December 2012. His banking career spans over 40 years and includes service as President and CEO of banks in Alabama and Florida for most of his career. Prior to joining First Florida, Jody served as Executive Vice President and Florida Executive for First National Bank of Pennsylvania, overseeing all lending functions in Florida.

Jody began his banking career in 1977 and joined SouthTrust Bank in Decatur, AL as President and Chief Executive Officer in 1986. In 1990, Mr. Hudgins became President and Chief Executive Officer of SouthTrust Bank in Sarasota, FL. In 1991, he joined West Coast Bank in Sarasota as President and Chief Executive Officer which later became First National Bank of Florida, where he served for 14 years.

Jody attended Carson-Newman College, where he received a degree in mathematics. In 1982, he graduated from the University of Virginia’s Graduate School of Retail Bank Management. For over twenty years, Jody has served as an instructor at the Florida School of Banking at the University of Florida, teaching courses in Personal Financial Analysis, Commercial Lending, Loan Policy and Review and Bank Simulation. Jody currently serves on the Charter Review Board for Sarasota County, FL. He is President of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU (GSBLSU), and he has served on the faculty at the GSBLSU for the past 12 years.

Jeff Hudson is the Market President for FirstBank in Memphis, Tennessee and has served in that role since 2015. Jeff has over 40 years of banking experience including an executive role in a de novo bank in Memphis from 1990-2004. That bank was Enterprise National Bank which was sold in 2004. He was also a Director of that bank. His banking career has been focused in the commercial lending area in both production and management roles.

Jeff was a member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Banker’s Association and presently serves on the TBA Government Relations Committee. He also chaired the Tennessee Banker’s Association Southeastern School of Commercial Lending. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Liberty Bowl, a past member of the Memphis Homebuilders Association and the Southeast Shelby County Rotary Group.

Jeff is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and completed the Graduate School of Banking at LSU (GSBLSU) in 1999. Jeff has served on the faculty at the GSBLSU for over 5 years.

Dan Klein is a Senior Partner at Lockshield Partners. As a CFP® Practitioner, Dan’s Series 4 (Registered Options Principal), Series 7 (General Securities Representative) and Series 63 (Uniform Securities Agent State Law) registrations are held through LPL Financial. He also holds his Series 65 (Uniform Investment Advisor Law) registration through Lockshield Partners. He also holds State of Kentucky Life, Health, Variable Annuity, and General Lines insurance licenses.

Dan began his career in financial planning at a time when many stock brokers and investment houses were pushing tech stocks and trying to catch the next hot investment Dan’s mission was simple: Help his clients achieve their family’s financial goals through honest and competent financial planning. From that simplest of beginnings he has built, one client at a time, a reputation as one of the most trusted financial planners in Western Kentucky.

Dan frequently works side by side with his client’s CPAs, attorneys, bankers, and families to help articulate, define, monitor, and work toward their financial goals. He recognizes the intimate connection between pursuing his client’s financial goals and how that may enable them to achieve their life’s goals and passions. Dan served on the LPL Financial Advisory Council in 2009. From more than 3,000 advisors nationwide LPL Financial invites only 24 hand-picked advisors to sit on the council for their integrity and service to their clients. He holds a bachelors degree from Saint Louis University, and he completed the Financial Planning and Services program at Western Kentucky University.

Dr. Dave Kohl is Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Finance and Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship at Virginia Tech University. He taught in the Agricultural and Applied Economics Department for 25 years.

Dave currently energizes agricultural lenders, producers, and business people with his keen insight into the agricultural industry gained through extensive travel, research, and exposure during his career. He has traveled over 9 million miles in his career; conducted more than 6,000 workshops and seminars for agricultural audiences; published more than 2,100 articles; and writes for many leading publications. Dave was recently inducted into the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Hall of Fame, and his personal involvement with agriculture and interaction with key industry players provide a unique perspective into future trends of the agricultural industry and economy.

Dave received his associate’s degree from Jefferson Community College, bachelor’s degree from Oswego State University, and his graduate degrees at Cornell University. He has received 11 major teaching awards while educating more than 10,000 students. He also earned 25 major extension and public service awards from Virginia Tech, Cornell University, and state and national organizations. Dave is a two-time recipient of the prestigious American Agricultural Economics Association’s Distinguished Teaching Award, one of only five professors in the 100-year history of the association to receive the award twice.

Mark Krawczyk has over forty years of management experience in banking, corporate and municipal finance, treasury operations, and human resources. Mark is the principal and owner of his own firm, CZYK & Associates. Through his company, Mark provides a unique insight into the workings of treasury operations, change management strategies, ACH applications, and financial/ treasury management strategies to clients and audiences around the country. Through numerous writings, lectures, seminars and speaking engagements, Mark brings a unique, insightful and, many times, humorous perspective to a number of issues facing corporate America today. He is actively sought as an entertaining and informative conference keynote speaker.

Mark received both his undergraduate degree and MBA in Finance from Oklahoma State University. He currently serves as the Director of Finance for the City of Hermiston, Oregon. He is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP), has twice served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), and has served as a faculty member for the Graduate School of Banking at LSU for over 20 years.

Dr. Steve Lacewell is a Professor of Finance and the Director of the Center for Banking and Finance at Murray State University. Steve previously worked as a National Bank Examiner for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and he served as an executive officer and commercial lender for two banks. He has taught classes and published research internationally, and he was the recipient of the 2012 Max Carmen Outstanding Teacher Award, the highest teaching award given by Murray State University. Steve created the Area in Finance with a Commercial Bank Management option at Murray State in the spring of 2016. It contains up to 21 course hours of bank-specific classes including compliance, lending, counter-threat finance, intro to banking, and advanced bank management.

He earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Tennessee at Martin, his MBA with a concentration in Finance from Murray State University, and a M.S. in Finance and a Ph.D. in Finance with minors in Economics and Statistics from Mississippi State University. Steve teaches the first year course in Asset-Liability Management at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

John Land is a Senior Case Manager in the FDIC’s Dallas Regional Office. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from LSU and an MBA from Baylor University. He completed the Graduate School of Banking at LSU in 1998, and he serves as an instructor for the third-year BankSim program.

Angie Lewis joined Citizens First Bank, a division of Synovus, in 2000 as Vice President/Private Banking and was responsible for leading the bank’s growth in the area of wealth management. In 2006, she was named Executive Vice President and was promoted to President/CEO in 2008. In 2012, she was named CEO of Synovus’ Northwest Georgia division. In 2017, Angie moved into a corporate role with Synovus as Group Executive, Community Banking. She transitioned to Group Executive, Enterprise Risk in May 2018.

Angie is a graduate of Berry College and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. She is a C.P.A. and worked in public accounting prior to her career in banking. She is very involved in community service activities and has served as President of the Rome Junior Service League, Chair of the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the Rome-Floyd County Development Authority.

Geof Longstaff serves as a Director of One Florida Bank in Orlando Florida and performs Expert Witness services on banking and lending matters throughout the United States. Geof been a banker since 1972, serving the banking industry in Florida for over 46 years. He served as President & CEO of 4 different banks in Florida ranging from South Florida to Orlando, culminating in the formation of First Mercantile National Bank in Orlando, Florida. Geof founded Mercantile Capital Corporation, a national lender specializing in the SBA 504 program, in 2003. This company was acquired by Old Florida Bank in 2010, and subsequently by merger with Iberia Bank, where he served as Chairman & CEO through 2018. Geof retired from Mercantile in early 2019.

Mike Milan is Vice President for Customer Success at Finagraph. With over 20 years of sales and entrepreneurship experience, Mike teaches at the most prestigious graduate schools of banking in America and is a sought after speaker on the topic of small business. He has translated innovative ideas into multi-million dollar businesses. Prior to joining Finagraph, Mike built and sold several successful ventures such as Blazing Star Staffing, a Midwest regional hotel staffing company, and Bottoms Up Brewhouse. He also owned two service businesses near St. Louis, Missouri.

Mike is a former Missouri State Trooper. He earned his BA from Wester Illinois University, and he later earned his MBA from Baylor University

Joe Nemetz is the Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of First American Bank & Trust in Athens, Georgia, a position he has held since 2014. Joe is a graduate of the University of Georgia, and he is also an alumnus of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. Joe began his banking career in 1982. Joe has served on the Board of Directors and Curriculum Committee for Georgia Bankers Association School of Banking for past 16 years. He has served on the Faculty at the Graduate School of Banking since 2013.

Danny Payne has over 50 years of experience in the banking industry as President/CEO of several Texas banks. He has served on the boards of Texas and California banks, and was the Commissioner of the Texas Department of Savings Banks and Mortgage Lending. He was the first Texas Director of Mortgage Lending Licensing. Through an affiliation with Deloitte Touche, he served as a Senior Investigator/Contractor for the FDIC in numerous bank receiverships. He was a partner in a notable asset and bank acquisition firm based in Dallas, Texas, and he leads a consulting firm serving a multitude of U. S. financial institutions and bank regulators. Danny joined the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU in 2018.

Dr. Tom Payne is Dean of the College of Business and Professor of Economics at Tennessee Tech University. As dean, Tom serves as the senior academic and administrative officer, provides leadership and vision, and sets strategic, operational, and financial direction for the college.

Tom holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas, and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Arkansas. Prior to joining Tennessee Tech, Tom served as the University of Tennessee at Martin Dunagan Chair of Excellence in Banking and as chair of the Department of Accounting, Finance, Economics and Political Science. Tom’s professional experience also includes positions at Texas Instruments, Rockwell International, UT Chattanooga and the University of Arkansas.

Tom served as a visiting professor at the University of Orléans (France), partnered with the Financial Services Volunteer Corporation to assist the Savings Bank of Albania during its privatization, and hosted a management program for Russian bank executives. He serves on the faculty of banking schools throughout the Southeastern United States and received the Eugene Spragens President’s Award for teaching excellence from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. Tom has published dozens journal articles, provided hundreds of presentations, and worked in partnership with academic, government, and private organizations supporting education and economic development.

Tom serves on the Executive Committee of the Putnam County Chamber Board of Directors and as Vice Chair of the Workforce Development and Education Division. He served as chair of the Martin Tennessee Industrial Board and as a member of the Weakley County Economic Development Board. He is founder of the UT Martin Regional Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (REED) Center and the Mid-South School for Advanced Agricultural Lending. He served on the WestStar Leadership Program Board of Trustees and as a past president of the Southwestern Finance Association. A Paul Harris Fellow, Tom is a member of the Cookeville Rotary Club and a past president of the Martin Rotary Club.

Tony L. Reitzel is a Senior Loan Administrator for BB&T in Greensboro, North Carolina. He previously held the positions of Business Services Officer, City Executive, Regional Credit Officer, and Reginal Loan Administrator at BB&T. Prior to joining BB&T, Tony was a Controller for Heavy Equipment Company, Commercial Lender & City Executive for First Citizens Bank. He also was a Private Banker, Retail Group Manager, Retail Branch Manager, and Retail & Mortgage Loan Officer at Wachovia Bank.

Tony holds a BA in Business Administration with a minor in Psychology Lenoir-Rhyne College. He received his MBA from Pfeiffer University, and he graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU in 2011. He has served on the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU since 2012.

Robert Reynolds is a Senior Partner at Reynolds, Reynolds & Little, LLC with offices in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Huntsville, Alabama. He was admitted to the Alabama bar in 1979, and he has argued before the Alabama and United States District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama, Northern District of Florida, Fifth and Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals; and the United States Supreme Court.

Robert holds a bachelors degree from Auburn University, and he received his MPA and Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama. He is Board Certified in Consumer and Business Bankruptcy, and he previously served as Vice President of Development for the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), ABI Director, Past Chair of the ABI Southeast Workshop Advisory Board, and Past Chair for Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section for the Alabama State Bar.

Pamela Ricco is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (EVP/COO) at the Florida Bankers Association (FBA). In this capacity, Ricco is responsible for the general management and operation of a 130 year-old statewide trade association with 19 employees and an annual operating budget of over $6 million. She oversees all Membership functions of the FBA including Education, the Florida Bankers Education Foundation, Communications & Marketing, the Trust Division and all non-dues revenue programs. Ricco also serves as President and CEO of FBA BancServ, Inc., the association’s wholly owned for-profit subsidiary; she joined the FBA in 2003 as Vice President of Communications.

Pamela holds a bachelors degree from the University of Alabama, and she earned two masters degrees from Florida State University. She is member of the Board of Trustees at Florida House, Florida’s state embassy on Capitol Hill, and she serves as a director at SelectSouce, a third-party administrator for the Florida Bankers Insurance Trust.

Ronny Roberts is Managing Director of ProBank Austin’s (formerly Professional Bank Services, Inc.) Nashville, Tennessee office. Ronny serves on the Board of Directors and is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Prior to joining the company in 1990, Ronny was a senior vice president for a regional bank holding company for eight years, where he managed the audit and loan examination division and was assistant director for credit policy and loan administration. He was also extensively involved with the acquisition of 17 banks for the holding company. From 1970 to 1982 he served as a national bank examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). His duties with the OCC included examination of many of the large regional and problem banks in the Southeast, instructor at various training sessions, regional recruiter at nine universities, and assignments in both the Regional and Washington offices. Ronny has also served as a community banker.

With ProBank Austin, Ronny provides consulting services in loan review, internal auditing (including Sarbanes-Oxley compliance), quality analysis, loan administration, director and loan officer training, regulatory assistance, strategic planning, capital planning, quality control reviews for secondary market mortgage lending, and litigation support, including expert witness testimony. Ronny is a graduate of both the University of Tennessee and the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin. He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and the American Association of Bank Directors (AABD), and he has served on the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU since 1992.

Steve Robichaux is President of Capital City Consultants. As an active consultant Steve specializes in Conflict Resolution, Team Building, Motivating and empowering your employees. Steve has worked with companies such as Schlumberger, EMC, Albemarle, CLECO, and Turner Industries

Steve holds an MBA and Undergraduate Degree in Psychology from LSU, and he has been professionally affiliated with LSU Continuing Education for over 25 years. He served as an instructor in the LSU Executive Education Program for fifteen years, and he has taught on the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU for over 20 years.

George Schloegel is retired President & CEO of Hancock Bank. He joined the Bank in 1956, working after school during his high school years. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University in New Orleans, now the University of New Orleans.

George served as the President of the Mississippi Bankers Association from 1997–1998, and was on the Board of Directors of Mississippi Power Company. He was the founder of the Harrison County Strategic Planning Commission, known as Coast 21, and served as Chairman of Mississippi’s Workforce Investment Board. He served as Mayor of Gulfport from 2009-2013.

George is a faculty member of the Mississippi School of Banking at the University of Mississippi and is a faculty member, Trustee, and Past President of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

Chad Tagtow is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Citizens Bank and Trust in Polk County, Florida. His areas of responsibility include technology, risk management, and operations. Prior to joining Citizens Bank and Trust, Chad worked for Raytheon NCS on multiple government projects in the areas of: Information assurance architectural design, risk management, security testing and evaluation, and security certification and accreditation. He began his career in the information security field developing and implementing network security policy for Boeing Aerospace at Kennedy Space Center in the late 1990’s.

Chad holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Central Florida. He graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU in 2009. He is an (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) since 2002. He teaches the Risk Management and Cybersecurity course at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

Jim Thomas is an attorney, author, speaker, trainer, and one of the most acclaimed and respected negotiators in the United States. Jim has specialized in negotiation for most of his 40-year law practice in Washington, DC. His clients have included the largest 20 financial institutions in the United States as well as most of the Fortune 500.

Jim’s book, Negotiate to Win, is a HarperCollins international bestseller and is available in 18 languages. He’s the author of scores of articles about negotiating and is a frequent guest on cable news. He’s a member of the faculty at the University of Washington’s Pacific Coast Banking School and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

Jim is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and The Georgetown University Law Center.

Graham Thompson is a retired banker. During his banking career, Graham served as CEO of three banks, senior lender of two banks, market president of one bank, and held seats on the boards of directors of seven banks. Graham also served as Chief Credit Officer/Risk Manager for First Commerce Corporation, a $9.5 billion, six bank holding company domiciled in New Orleans which later sold to Bank One for 3.86 times book.

Graham was both Treasurer and Board Chairman of the Louisiana Bankers Association where he headed the State Government Relation Committee for 17 years. Graham’s civic service also includes board chairmanship of both the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce and the Monroe, Louisiana Chamber of Commerce. He served three terms on the Board of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, and he served 2 terms as chairman. Before moving to Louisiana Thompson was elected to 3 terms on the Board of Education in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Thompson is a member of First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge where he is an Elder and a Trustee.

Graham attended Vanderbilt University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. He is a graduate of The Southwestern Graduate School of banking at Southern Methodist University. He currently is engaged in consulting work, and he has served as an instructor at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU for over 24 years.

Tod Trulove serves as the Assistant Commissioner of the Bank Division for the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions. Mr. Trulove began his career with the Department of Financial Institutions in 1990 as a bank examiner in the Middle Tennessee Field Office. In 1999 he took on the duties of special examiner concentrating on conducting examinations of trust companies and bank trust departments. He was promoted to regional supervisor, where he managed a team of bank examination personnel, in 2001. Mr. Trulove later assumed the role of Chief Administrator of the bank division before being promoted to his present position in 2004. As assistant commissioner, he is responsible for leadership of the bank division and supervision of state-chartered commercial and savings banks, independent trust companies, and business and industrial development corporations. In addition to indirectly supervising the examination function he also oversees the division’s large bank, applications, trust, and training sections. He is responsible for the division’s budget and operations and the formulation and implementation of policy.

A native of Columbia, Tennessee, Mr. Trulove holds a Bachelors of Business Administration degree from Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee and is an alumnus of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University, where he currently serves on the faculty. Mr. Trulove is a member of the Performance Standards Committee of the Conference of Bank Supervisors (CSBS) Education Foundation, he holds a Certified Examination Management designation from the Foundation, and he is a member of CSBS District III.

Jeff Turner is an Executive Vice President and People Department Director for First Florida Integrity Bank (FFIB) in Naples, Florida. Prior to joining FFIB in 2012, Jeff served in various leadership and management human resources positions with Capital Bank, TIB Bank, Fifth Third Bank, and First National Bank of Florida. Before beginning his career in banking, Jeff served in corporate roles with IBM, Allstate Insurance Company, and Pepsi Co Frito-Lay. Jeff earned the Senior Professional in Human Resources designation in 2013. Jeff earned his bachelor degrees in Economics and Business Management from North Carolina State University.